Brothers of the Sand
by Mustang's Inferno
Summary: Being Ishvallan was never easy, especially for two young children. Rescued from the war torn land of Ishval by soldiers who would never forget them, the Elric' Brothers start out on a journey that has the world around them reeling. Follow the Elrics as the This will not be a vanilla retelling of FMA. Featuring Ishvallan!Elrics Parental!Roy/Riza
1. Prologue

Hello! Welcome to my test run on this story. I haven't been writing a lot lately (as one can tell from my page...) but I was hit with inspiration quite recently and decided to finally post this story. I only have the first three parts of this story written, but I will only be posting the first two right now. My continued writing will be influenced by the response that I get from this story. This prompt is new, and I am fairly certain that this story will be entierly unique if I can finish it.

Prompt/Idea: Ed and Al are Ishvallan. They have white hair (from Trisha, now Ishvallan) and Gold eyes (from Ho) and they have dark skin. I dont want to entierly rewrite FMA because I love it the way it is, but I believe that this will change multiple plot points and I will hopefully have a new ending if I keep this story up. This also means that the relationships will be different within the story, and I can't wait to plan it all out.

 **A Beta would be greatly appriciated!** If you feel like you would like to Beta this story please PM me!

I do not own FMA

Summary: Being Ishvallan was never easy, but what if those prejudices could be overcome? Follow FMA from the POV of the Ishvallan Elric Brothers as they survive the tail end of Ishval, face prejudice, and continue to shake the world around them for better or worse. This will not be a vanilla retelling of FMA. Featuring Ishvallan!Elrics

Brothers of the Sand

Prologue

"Brother," whispered the small child. "Brother, we need to leave."

"It's pointless, there's nowhere to go," replied the older boy, sitting in the corner of the ruined hut they were in.

"If we don't leave, the soldiers will come like last time,"stated the younger brother, sinking to the ground.

The older boy stared across the small room they were in, his eyes fixed on the cot on the other side of the room. Specifically, on the body lying there.

"Brother," the small boy started, "please, we -"

" -we can't just leave her."

"But Brother!"

"No Al," the older boy shouted, "I won't leave her here in their mercy. She deserves better!"

"I know!" yelled Al, tears in his tired eyes. His voice shook. "I know Ed, I don't want to either. But we can't do anything. We can't even drag the cot, let alone carry mom."

There was a pause. Both boys stayed silent, slowly realizing the growing severity of their situation.

Ed got up first, his face tear stained and his fists clenched at his sides. He made his way to the cot, looking down at their mother, who lay unmoving upon it. He wouldn't cry, Ed told himself. He wouldn't cry again. He would have to be strong for Al, for his brother. It's what big brothers do.

Ed pulled the dirt and sweat stained blanket up over their mother's head, only her long white hair showing now. He clenched his eyes and held his breath before slowly releasing it. Now more in control of himself, he stood there for a moment, and then turned back to Al.

Making his way across the room, Ed picked up two head scarves from the floor.

"Come on Al," Ed said as he tossed his brother the scarf. "Put it on quickly. I don't want you getting sick out there like mom did."

Al complied, rising from the floor to join his brother.

"Brother, where will we go?" asked Al, following Ed to the hole in the wall that they had deemed the entrance.

"Away," Ed said, his voice soft, "I hear that there are nice people nearby. People who will take care of anyone. Maybe they can help us."

Al nodded in acceptance as they picked their way carefully through the rubble and debris outside of the abandoned house.

"Brother?" questioned Al in a quiet voice.

"Yes Al, what is it?"

"We're going to be ok, right?"

The boys stepped out into the open, the gold flecks in their red eyes catching the sun subtly. The dull scarves around their nose and mouth, their to protect them from the heat of the desert and the brunt to the disease that came from rotting bodies, rustled softly in the heavy and dry desert air. The air smelt of heat, of sweat, and of death. This was the new smell of their once home.

"Yeah," Ed replied, his voice more confident now, "we're gonna be ok."

Both brothers treaded carefully, watching for any signs of movement. This was the start of their journey. One that would alter their lives forever. This was their escape from Ishval, and it was only the beginning.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Roy wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his cloak, squinting to see what lay ahead of them.

"Do you see anything Hughes?" asked Roy, glancing over at his friend.

Hughes set down his binoculars, sighing as he did so. He rubbed the rings around his eyes tiredly, letting out a deep sigh.

"Not right now," Hughes replied. "I don't know why they stationed us out here right now. There's nothing out here but diseased bodies. I'm surprised that no one in our camp has gotten sick yet. Your flames are good for getting rid of the disease, but you would be better used somewhere else."

"I needed the break Hughes, you know that," scolded Roy.

"I know," sighed Hughes, "but I am starting to get restless out here, not knowing how everyone else is doing. The lack of human contact out here is frightening. It is like they sent us out to watch a ghost town."

Roy snickered. "Anyone dumb enough to stick around would probably be dead within a week," he mumbled under his breath, "even if we weren't here. "Mustang knelt down to pick up some of the rubble on the abandoned street, turning over a piece of what use to be someone's home.

"Well, we're stationed here for another week at least," said Hughes, breaking the silence that hung over the street, "so keep searching for an burning the bodies. I don't want anyone of our men to get sick while we are here. Plus, we are supposed to keep it from spreading, so why not eradicate it while we can?"

Hughes turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh, and make sure to keep your mask up. I don't want to lose you to this just because you were too lazy to cover your face."

Roy stood up next to his friend, grabbing his arm to get up. "I will, don't worry so much." Roy pulled his gloves out of his pocket and slid them onto his hands. "Come on, lets just get this over with."

Hughes and Roy marched down the street, each watching the other's back. Hughes held up his hand, signalling for his friend to stop.

"I hear something," whispered Hughes, "I think someone is coming through the alley. Two o'clock."

Roy moved his hand up slowly, his fingers balanced, prepared to snap in a moments notice. Hughes stepped slightly behind the alchemist, his throwing knives and the ready, glinting menacingly in his hands. Both men edged over to the side of the street, taking cover behind the cracked and jagged walls from whatever threat was coming.

With a quiet mew, a scrawny kitten jumped out of the alleyway. Both of the men let out a sigh of relief and relaxed slightly. It was just a cat. The kitten turned to look back at where it had come from and mewed once again.

Suddenly, a small voice was heard coming through the alleyway. Both of the men tensed once more, ready for anything.

"Come here kitty! I just want to pet you, I won't hurt you!"

A small body stumbled out of the opening towards the cat, reaching out to it as he did. Both of the hidden men froze where they stood. A child. Here. Of all of the places to be, of all of the people it could be, it had to be a child. There had to be more. If there was one, there was surely more to follow.

But they couldn't kill a child. They wouldn't.

"Al!" came a harsh voice from a second, slower moving figure behind the first. "Be quiet! You don't know who is out there. And put that cat down! We can't take care of ourselves, let alone a cat on our trip."

Al huffed and stopped in the road. He set the cat down, where it immediately fled the scene. Al pouted over the lose of the cat.

"There, happy now?" retorted Al dejectedly. The other child didn't say anything as he turned to look down the road.

The men, still hidden out of sight, lowered their arms. These were just kids, refuges.

"Maes," Roy whispered urgently, "I can't . . . I won't attack them. I can't do this. maybe if they were adults, but . . ."

"I understand," muttered Hughes. "This mission just got a whole lot more complicated."

"Should we approach them? I don't know how they will react, but they are probably alone and need help, based on what we heard." Roy waited for Hughes response.

"I think we should, but put your gloves away," responded Hughes, sheathing his own weapons within his sleeves. "This sector was taken out by the disease, not soldiers, so they shouldn't be too scared of us. But be careful to keep your distance, they will still be wary of us, especially if they are on their own."

Roy nodded and quickly slipped off his gloves, putting them into the outside pocket of his jacket so he could reach them.

Just in case.

"Ok, ready?"

"Ready"

The soldiers took a deep breath together, then stepped out onto the street.

The brothers froze immediately, both starting and tense at the sudden appearance of the soldiers. Both of them scrambled backwards, away from the men, putting as much space between them as possible.

"Hey, wait!" spoke Hughes gently, his hands open and in front of his face to show that he was unarmed. "We aren't here to harm you, we can help you guys."

The boys stopped their retreat, but didn't take their eyes off of the men in front of them.

"My name is Roy," offered Roy, "and my friend here is Hughes. We are soldiers who are here to help you guys."

The boys were still tense, but were evaluating Roy's every word. They still had their back towards their exit, the wide open road, just in case something went wrong. They boys knew that they couldn't outrun the full grown men, but they could try and lose them within the city. Both of the brothers looked at each other briefly before nodding.

"My name is Ed, and this is my younger brother Al," stated the older looking boy, his hands gesturing to his brother.

Roy, still sensing the boy's nervousness, stepped out slowly beside his friend, facing the two small Ishvalan children.

"Where did you come from? This area has been abandoned because of the plague," spoke Roy, his voice soft.

They hesitated, once more looking at each other.

 _They have such a strong bond,_ thought Roy, _they look to each other for approval_.

Ed nodded, looking up at the much taller men standing in front of him.

"We live here, or lived I guess. We were born and raised here. Our mother stayed once the war broke out, cause she said that we would be safe here. We weren't allowed to know much of what was going on, but we still noticed that there were less people in town. We just haven't left town yet because of our mother. We are headed away, because… well… because…"

"Our mom is dead," stated Al, finishing what his brother couldn't. Both of the boys had tears in their eyes, but Ed quickly used his sleeve to get rid of the offending tears.

Ed continued his story."Yeah, that's why. We were headed out to see if there were people to help us in a town nearby. They are supposed to be good doctors, and mom always said that doctors were nice."

Roy and Hughes looked to each other. They both knew of the Rockbells, and it was no wonder that their reputation had spread here of all places. But they were too far away for the boys to travel by themselves. If the heat didn't get to them, the soldiers staggered along the way surely would.

"Ed, Al, how were you guys planning on getting to the doctors? Do you guys have any water or supplies?"

Ed looked down sheepishly, moving the dust on the ground around with his foot.

"Well, we were planning on walking until we found a town to help us. And we don't have any supplies, so we were going to try and find some in the empty houses around here."

Roy Stood up and spoke to Hughes.

"Hughes, do you think…"

"We can do it, we just have to be fast," Hughes finished, his glasses flashing.

Hughes turned and smiled at the boys. "Well, if it is ok with you boys, we would like to help you out. We can get you supplies and escort you to the Rockbells. But we will have to be very careful and it might take a little bit for us to get ready. Would that be ok with you guys?"

"That would be great," Al whispered as his eyes lit up. Not only were they getting supplies, but these nice large men were going to help them to the doctors! This was more than Al could have asked for.

Ed on the other hand, narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the men. He was supposed to be Al's protector. He was a big boy, and could fend for himself. But even he realized that making it across the desert would be hard for the two of them alone. He nodded his head, agreeing with Al.

Hughes gave them another big smile. "Okay then, now we just have to get everything set up. Do you guys think that you can get all of you things together and meet us here is an hour? We will be able to leave after that."

"We don't have any baggage, so we will just wait here," muttered Ed, embarrassed by his lack of provisions once again.

"I will wait with them," interjected Roy. He didn't want to leave the boys alone, not even for a little bit. They were lucky enough to meet them before any other soldiers, and he didn't want to push it. "Would you boys show me your house in a little bit?"

Both of the boys nodded slowly, going back to staring at the ground.

"Hughes, if we aren't back here in time, you know how to find me."

Hughes gave Roy a quick look and then turned to go back to camp. He needed to make this fast. He also needed to make arrangements for their absence so that they wouldn't be counted as deserters. This might take longer than he thought.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is ready to go and Chapter 3 is still in progress! If anyone would like to give me feed back that would be great because this story will definitely need a lot of work and editing! I am not the best of writers out there, but I'm trying.

Anyways, enjoy!

Brothers Chapter2

"Ok Boys, let's get moving," said Roy, brushing the dust off of his pants. "If we are going to get to your house and scavenge for supplies then we need to start moving now."

Both of the boys, stretched and nodded their heads in understanding. One by one, they hobbled back through the opening that they had come through. Roy had to crouch to fit, but he just had to make it work.

Roy paused for a second, his face twisted in thought. "Also, while we are over here, I need to see a friend before we leave," stated Roy, trudging forward once more.

The boys gave him skeptical looks, but didn't question him out loud. Onward they walked, picking their way through the mass of debris that lay in their way. The boys both seemed oblivious to their surroundings, or just used to it, but Roy was somewhat worried.

Both sides of the path were stained with blood, either from the bodies that were once there or from a gruesome fight. Roy was leaning towards his first observation. He saw chucks of flesh scattered into the debris and pulled his face mask up around his nose.

 _How have they not gotten sick yet? This place is a cesspool of bacteria and disease. I'll have to get them new clothes whenever I can._

Even with this, the boys trudged on, their masks already on their faces.

"Take a left up here," whispered the Colonel just loud enough for them to hear. "After that, take the first right and then enter the building. We will be going to the top."

Tiptoeing around the corner, the boys entered the building that Mustang had mentioned. The door was slightly open, and there were light footprints in the dust leading up the stairs.

"Let me go first, I don't want you guys to scare her," said Roy as he mad his way in front of the boys, briefly taking the stairs two at a time. They worked their way up the wooden stair case, which looked as though it was in dire need of repair. They came to small door and stopped. Roy knocked on the door, once, twice, then once again.

"Hey Hawkeye, it's Roy. I'm coming in. I've got visitors with me, so don't be alarmed."

There was a slight ruffling from within the room, and then the door opened. In front of the boys stood the first Amestrian woman that they had ever seen. Her blond hair, cropped short, shimmered just slightly. Her face was smooth and tanned, but her eyes were what captured them. They looked like amber and held a small glimpse of light in tem, even if it was small.

Riza gave her superior a once over, checking to make sure that he was uninjured. Her gaze then landed on the children, and she froze.

Children. In this war zone.

Suspicion and worry flashed briefly in her eyes, but as they gazed up at her in wonder she quickly recovered her composure.

"Come in," she stated bluntly and turned around, ushering them into the room quickly. She waited for all to file in and then shut the door softly. "Roy, who are these boys? Where did you find them?"

"Hawkeye, this is Ed and Al," said Roy, gesturing to the boys, who waved at Riza when their names were said. "Ed, Al, this is Ms. Riza Hawkeye. She is a good friend of mine. You can trust her."

The boys nodded their heads and sat on the floor. They needed to rest for the journey ahead of them.

"Roy, where did you find them?" questioned Riza again.

"They were on the streets, ready to leave town. Their last family member just died and they have no where else to go. They were going to try and make the journey across the desert alone Riza. Hughes was with me, and I just couldn't. . . so I, we. . . we decided to help them."

"Roy, you know how dangerous this is. It's completely insane!" scolded Riza in a harsh whisper. She glanced at the boys, and then sighed.

The brothers were playing with the dust on the floor, making circles with intricate designs in them. Riza didn't know what they were doing, but she knew that they were innocent. They didn't deserve to be slaughtered here, not by them.

"Do you even have a plan?" questioned Riza, now resigned to her friends' crazy plot.

"Hughes is gathering supplies right now and then he is going to talk to Grumman. He will probably tell him that we are going to scout and camp out for a few days to burn off more bodies. After he gets back, we will set off East to get these boys to the Rockbells. They should be safe once they are there, so we will heady back after that."

Riza nodded, thinking through what he had said. "I guess you want me to verify whatever Hughes says?'

"Yeah. It would be a great cover if you would report back to camp on our 'whereabouts' for the next few days, at least, until I come and let you know that we are back."

Riza shifted her stance, placing both of her hands on her hips. Roy knew this stance, Riza used it when she had made up her mind. He and Riza both knew that this could end in a disaster, but looking at the boys playing on the floor, he knew it would be worth it.

"Alright then, I will cover for you," consented Riza, "but if you are gone for more than a week, I am coming after you."

And Roy knew that she would. The trip itself was only one day each way. Overall, it should only take three days to escort the children and make it back. If they were gone a week, not only would headquarters be suspicious, but it tell Riza that something had gone seriously wrong.

"Thank you Riza," Roy sighed, one of his problems now out of the way. "I will come back to see you the moment that I can."

"I know," whispered Riza, lowering her eyes. Roy knew without saying the she wanted to accompany him, but it would be too obvious if the Hawk's Eye disappeared from the battlefields on Ishval for any period of time. "Just come back quick ok."

"I always do," promised the Alchemist, his dark onyx eyes meeting her dark brown orbs. And he always kept his promises.

Roy turned away from Riza, tearing his gaze away to look at the children on the floor.

"Alright kids, lets continue moving. We need to get to your house before we can continue."

"But we were almost done!," whined Ed as Al made his way to his feet.

"Brother, we can redo it pretty easily. We need to get going," scolded Al, making Ed look down bashfully at his creation and then hobble to his feet.

"What exactly did you draw?" questioned Roy, who was unable to see the full drawing from where he was standing.

"Well, if finished, it was supposed to make a stool. We noticed that there wasn't much furniture in this place and wanted to make Ms. Riza a chair," explained Al as Ed stared at their creation.

"Wait, you mean you used Alchemy? Where did you learn it?," stuttered Roy as he worked his way over to the creation to get a full view of it. He knelt down to see the design clearly and was shocked.

On the floor by the window, just out of site for the adults, lay an array sketched into the dirt floor. Roy recognized the circles and arithmetic from his own studies with Master Hawkeye, but he would never have been able to do this without guidance. His specialty was fire and he never got past the basics in any of the other fields of alchemy.

"Yeah, we were going to use alchemy, but we didn't quite finish. We wanted to put armrests on the chair, but we couldn't figure out how to do it," answered Ed, still scrutinizing his mini project.

"But where did you learn it? Alchemy is a forbidden art in Ishval, cursed by Ishvala," Roy questioned once more.

"Our father wasn't Ishvalan, he was Amestrian. Or at least he looked like one. He left about a year ago. He left some of his books behind and Ed and I were able to learn from them." It was Al that answered this time, turning to face Roy, he continued. "We know that it is against Ishval, but we weren't raised like that. Our mother was cast out from her family because of her disbelief. She met our father when she was living in the slums here. He was able to provide for us, and even left us a lot of money when he left. It was one of the reasons that mom didn't want to leave."

"She thought that bastard would come back," cut in Ed, "but he never did. He left us here by ourselves."

"Don't use that word Ed," snapped Al, "Sorry for brother's language. I'm not sure where he picked it up.

Riza and Roy both stood up and looked at each other. These boys were definitely prodigies of some sort and they didn't even notice it. If these children weren't Ishvalan, they would be snatched up by the Government Foster system in no time.

"Well, why don't you try it," suggested Riza, "I am flattered that you guys would make me a chair, but I really don't need arm rests."

"Ok then," said Ed happily, waving Al over to do the transmutation with him. They both laid their hands above the outer edge of their circle, each glancing at the other to make sure that they were in sync. They nodded and placed their hands down as one, the blue light of alchemy lighting up the small corner.

When the lights had died down, all in the room could see the sturdy looking brick stool that now graced the room. But there was one thing that bugged Roy.

"What materials did you use to make this? It wasn't the floor was it? If it was, this building is going to be unstable, seeing as we are on the fourth floor."

"We know that. We used the sand and dust of the floor to make it. Look at the floor now!" answered Al proudly, gesturing to floor.

And it was there that Roy saw the definite proof that these boys were prodigies. The floor was now almost completely clean. Almost all traces of the dirt and grime that had once layered the rough area was gone and now it presumably made up the stool standing before them.

"That is definitely something," murmured Riza. She might not be an alchemist herself, but she was raise by one. She knew exactly how hard it was to pull something like this off.

Roy stood flabbergasted. He didn't really know how to react. Again, this was way out of his area of expertise.

"It looks great boys. Thank you very much," said Riza, smiling at the two children.

The boys smiled brightly back, Ed grabbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"It was no problem Ms. Riza," smiled Al.

"Yeah, no problem," added Ed, "It was even kind of fun."

Roy looked on to the scene and smiled slightly. He knew that Riza was starting to like the kids, and honestly, so was he. But they had to get going. They didn't have much time to waste on pleasantries.

Roy hated to go, but their time was slipping away. "Ok boys, craft time is over. We need to stop by your old house before we head out towards the Rockbells."

Both of the boys nodded, standing up from the floor and dusting themselves off.

"It was very nice to meet you boys," said Riza, "I have no doubt that you boys will grow up to be great alchemists."

The brothers both blushed. "I'm sure we will see you again Ms. Riza," said Al shyly, flattered by Riza's praise.

"Yeah," added Ed, "We will definitely see you again!"

"I'm sure you will," cut in Roy as he ushered the brothers to the door. "Goodbye for now Riza."

"Goodbye for now Roy," responded Riza as she closed the door, watching the backs of her guests as they descended down the stairwell.

* * *

Back out on the streets, the party kept to the shadows. Ed and Al knew the area well and were quickly weaving their way in and out of the debris. Roy hated to admit it, but for a little bit he struggled to keep up with the younger, agile duo.

"Are you okay sir?" asked Al, peering over his shoulder towards the soldier.

"Just fine," breathed Roy as he squeezed his way through a particularly tight crack in the wall.

And this was how the boys continued for blocks. They went deeper into the ruins, deeper than the soldiers had dared go because of the disease as of yet.

The boys and Roy had each pulled on their face masks when they had stepped onto the streets. Roy was thankful that he remembered his this morning, else he would be in big trouble right now.

"We are almost there," announced Ed.

Roy grunted in acknowledgment. He couldn't wait to get this over with and head out as fast as he could.

The brothers stopped in front of a small square building. There was a large piece of the neighboring building blocking most of the door, but there was just enough room for a person to squeeze through.

"Here it is," whispered Al. Ed remained silent by his side, his hands balled by his sides.

"I was thinking," started Roy. He didn't really know how to approach this. "I was wondering if you would like have a funeral for your mother. At least, as close as I can to giving her one."

Both of the boys stiffened. They didn't really want anyone to touch their mother even though she was dead.

"I know it will be hard, but let me explain. I can burn the house with her inside of it. This will prevent anyone or thing from messing with her body. Also, it will help to prevent the spread of the disease. If you don't want me to, I understand. But this area will eventually be torn down, even if it is years from now." Roy said all of this slowly, letting the boys process his reasons carefully.

"We already know that we can't bury her," said Al, breaking the tense silence. "We can't even get her out of the doorway." He turned to look at his brother's reaction. Ed stood still, his face one of determination and his fists still tightly clenched.

"Ed," began Al, "I know that it is hard, but it would be the right thing to do and..."

"Do it," interrupted Ed in a tense voice. Ed turned to face the soldier, who was now pulling his gloves out of his coat pocket. "Do it. She deserves a decent funeral, and this is more than we were able to give her."

Nodding solemnly Roy slipped on his ignition gloves. "Would you boys like to say last words?

Once more, the boys looked to each other for reassurance, Al coming over to grab the hand of stubborn brother. Ed sighed as Al nodded to him, giving him the okay to proceed.

Ed turned back to their crumbling home, looking at it critically, his resolve to survive only strengthening. "I'm sorry mom," started Ed. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop this. I was supposed to protect you since dad is gone but I couldn't." Ed was whispering now, Al's hand tightening around his own. "And now your gone, but life moves on, and so will we. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I promise to take care of Al. I promise to live like you would. I'll try to drink some milk and go to bed on time, I really will. I love you, and I always will."

Beside him, Al relaxed, nodding in approval of his big brother's words. Both of the boys now looked to Roy.

And as Roy looked on to the boys, he made a silent promise himself. _I will watch out for these children,_ thought Roy, _and I will help them, no matter what. They are strong, they are the future, and I'll be shot before I let them suffer._

And with a snap, the house erupted, with only three living souls ever knowing its true importance.

* * *

When Hughes finally made his way to the group, using Roy's impromptu signal to locate them swiftly, he was a little surprised to find the Lieutenant sitting in the dust, his back to a wall across the street from the smoldering building, with two small bodies in his arms, one on each side. Hughes was disappointed, to say the least, that he didn't have any sort of camera out here.

 _When I get back to Central_ thought Hughes _I'm going to have to get a camera to carry with me so I can take pictures like this when they come around._

Moving in closer to the scene he saw Roy stirring, probably awaken by his footsteps. Roy gently awoke his two small companions. "Do you have all of the supplies that we need?" asked Roy whenever Hughes came into their makeshift camp.

"Yep," replied Hughes cheerily, "I grabbed enough supplies to last us about a week and a half or so. I also grabbed us some new scarves and shoes just in case we need to change those on the way back. I couldn't find any clothing small enough for the boys to change into but if we need to they can use the scarves to hide their faces as a disguise. I also told the General that you and I were going to be gone for a week or so to go out deeper into the city to look for anything that we might have missed on our first run through."

"Good" confirmed Roy, "I also talked to Riza and asked her to 'confirm sightings' of us when she reports back every few days."

"Great! I feel so much better knowing that the Hawk is on our side, not that she wouldn't be with you here. Anyways, we should probably move out soon. Some scouts might be by to check out the flames. If I could find you then so can someone else." At Hughes prompting, the boys and Roy both quickly got to their feet and dusted themselves off.

"We need to head west and then follow the Rheos River until. That will take us to Resembool if we follow it north," states Hughes to Roy. "It should only take 3 or 4 days to walk there, but it won't be as difficult after we get across the river."

"Are you boys ready to go? We need to try to get out of the city tonight if we can," asked Roy.

And with two quick nods, the group was trudging through the debris and death once more, and hopefully, towards a safer place. One that the boys would eventually name home.


End file.
